This application is based on and claims priority under 35 U.S.C. xc2xa7119 with respect to a Japanese Patent Application 2001-052999, filed on Feb. 27, 2001, the entire content of which is incorporated herein by reference.
This invention generally relates to a sun roof apparatus for opening and closing an opening defined in a vehicle roof by a sliding panel. More particularly, this invention pertains to a sun roof apparatus provided with a deflector of which projecting amount from a vehicle roof can be adjusted. Therefore, the sun roof apparatus prevents wind from being involved into a vehicle interior via an opening defined in the vehicle roof and also decreases wind noise.
A type of sun roof apparatus provided with a deflector of which projecting amount from a vehicle roof can be adjusted, have been already known. According to a sun roof apparatus disclosed in a publication of a U.S. Pat. No. 6,082,812, the deflector is provided at a front edge portion of the opening. The deflector is structured to be projected at a high position from the vehicle roof for preventing wind from being involved into a vehicle interior and for preventing wind throb varying a vehicle inner pressure periodically from being generated during the vehicle being running at a middle or low speed. On the other hand, the deflector is adjusted to be projected at a low position from the vehicle roof for decreasing wind noise during the vehicle being running at a high speed. The deflector is provided with a wind deflecting portion extending along the front edge portion of the opening in a vehicle lateral direction and a pair of arm portions extending from both ends of the wind deflecting portion in a vehicle rearward direction.
The above disclosed sun roof apparatus is in a substantially symmetric structure in the vehicle lateral direction relative to a central portion thereof. Therefore, there is an only one side described below unless a particular description is added.
The deflector is operatively connected to a member of the vehicle roof at a rear end of the arm portion by means of a hinge. Further, a pin is provided horizontally between the wind deflecting portion and the hinge connecting portion. A cam member is mounted at a side surface of the arm portion and is operatively connected to the pin. The cam member includes a cam groove extending approximately in a vehicle longitudinal direction so as to generate an inclined portion. A rear end of the cam member is connected to a connecting member extending in the vehicle rearward direction and being connected to a driving mechanism. The cam member is movable relative to the arm portion in the vehicle longitudinal direction. When the sliding panel is under an entirely opened position, the cam member is slidably moved in the vehicle longitudinal direction so as to guide the pin along the cam groove in a vehicle vertical direction. Therefore, a projecting height of the deflector can be adjusted. The movement of the connecting member is controlled by a control device based upon a vehicle speed signal and the like.
According to the above described sun roof apparatus, the cam member is arranged to be operatively connected to the side surface of an intermediate position of the arm portion. The connecting member is arranged at a side of the hinge connecting portion of the rear end of the arm portion relative to the member of the vehicle roof. Therefore, a mechanism potion with the above structure is required to have a large space in the vehicle lateral direction.
Further, it is preferable that the pin is arranged in the vicinity of the wind deflecting portion for firmly supporting the defector against wind pressure and vibration. However, if the pin is arranged in the vicinity of the wind deflecting portion, that is if the pin is away from a hinge point of the rear end of the arm portion, a vertical length of the cam groove is required to be large. A height of a cam member will be then drastically larger than a height of the arm portion positioned horizontally under an inoperative condition.
Generally, a sun roof apparatus is designed to reduce a length of the mechanism portion in the vehicle lateral and vertical directions and to assure a enough length of the opening in the vehicle lateral direction and a large space over an occupant""s head. However, according to the above described sun roof apparatus, the length of the opening in the vehicle lateral direction is required to be decreased and the space over the occupant""s head is required to be small for providing a function for adjusting the height of the deflector in response to a vehicle speed.
Accordingly, the sun roof apparatus disclosed above is still susceptible of certain improvements with respect to being provided with a mechanism for adjusting the height of the deflector in response to the vehicle speed without decreasing the length of the opening in the vehicle lateral direction and the space over the occupant""s head.
It is an object of the present invention that a vehicle sun roof apparatus provided with a mechanism portion for adjusting a height of a deflector includes an opening of which length in a vehicle lateral direction is assured sufficiently and a sufficient space over an occupant""s head.
In order to achieve this objective, there is provided an improved sun roof apparatus for a vehicle which includes an opening defined in a vehicle roof, a sliding panel operated for opening and closing the opening by an operation of an electric motor, a deflector disposed along a front edge portion of the opening and movable in response to an operation of the sliding panel. The deflector includes a wind deflecting portion projected from the vehicle roof during the sliding panel being opened and moved down to an inoperative position during the sliding panel being closed. The deflector further includes an arm portion extending from an edge of the wind deflecting portion in a vehicle rearward direction.
The sun roof apparatus further comprises a control device for adjusting a projecting amount of the wind deflecting portion from the vehicle roof, a cam means disposed behind the arm portion, in which the cam means is slidably movable in a vehicle longitudinal direction for moving a rear portion of the arm portion in a vehicle vertical direction, and a link means mounted on an approximately central portion of the arm so as to be rotatable within a predetermined angle relative to the arm portion.
As described above, the cam means for changing a position of the deflector by the slidable movement of the cam means in the vehicle longitudinal direction is arranged behind the arm portion. Therefore, a length of the mechanism portion of the sun roof apparatus in the vehicle lateral direction is not required to be long. Further, the link means is disposed at the approximately central portion of the arm portion. The link means is tilted down to an inoperative position with the arm portion corresponding to the movement of the arm portion. Each height of the cam means and the link means is structured not to exceed a height of the arm portion when the arm portion is at the inoperative position. Therefore, a length of the mechanism portion of the sun roof apparatus in the vehicle vertical direction is not required to be long.